


What the Hell was that?

by Legionnaire24601



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inspired by a post on tumblr, OH GOD WHY, Role Reversal, barbara is a changeling, i have too many wips already, stricklers a doctor, updates on this will be slow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-08-16 23:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16504778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legionnaire24601/pseuds/Legionnaire24601
Summary: Of all the ways she could have met Dr. Walter Lake, this was not the way she would have chosen, Barbara Strickland thought miserably.





	1. Chapter 1

Of all the ways she could have met Dr. Walter Lake, this was not the way she would have chosen, Barbara Strickland thought miserably as she sat on an uncomfortable hospital chair. The sharp scent of disinfectant and the bright lights reflecting off of the clinic’s pristine white floors were threatening to give her a headache.

 

“I can’t believe you, how could you have let this happen?” She asked quietly. Adjusting her position within her seat only to grow more frustrated and moving again. Barbara was trying very hard not to glare at the patients and staff that noisily wandered through their corridor.

 

“It was not my fault,” Nomura denied for, what was perhaps, the fortieth time since they had gotten there.

 

“I do not want to hear it Nomura, I really don’t.”

 

“Still not my fault Barb,” the other changeling sneered, crossing her arms and looking less like a high ranking member of the Janus order and more like a petulant child.

Barbara sighed heavily and pressed her palms into her eyes in a desperate, futile attempt to push back the throbbing in her skull.

 

“The curator saw some of the pieces. What was I supposed to do?”

“Say that a mistake was made. That the museum received the wrong set of crates. Lie.” Strickland snapped, putting her elbows on the top of her knees and intertwining her fingers. Her angry hiss turned into a small moan as her headache flared into a migraine. “Lie,” She repeated softer, leaning forward and resting her mouth against her hands, squinting down at a loose tile on floor. “It’s what we’re good at. Not shove your human ‘boss’ down the stair--”

 

“Ms. Strickland and Ms. Nomura?” 

A pair of white tennis shoes walked and stopped on top of the loose tile that she had been staring so hard at.Barbara snapped her head up far too quickly and the sudden movement sent a new wave of pain through her head in an instant.  A small nurse, with the name tag reading, Dani gave them a diminutive smile and motioned for them to rise. 

“Dr. Lake will speak with you now. This way please.” She said before, turning and leading her way down the hall, not bothering to check if they were following.

Barbara looked over Nomura, who merely shrugged and after a moment's pause both rose to trail after the nurse.

 

The office, was neat and orderly. To the left a large bookshelf lined the wall, filled with volume after volume of Medical books and journals. On the right, a medical degree was displayed proudly next to pictures of a young dark haired boy that Barbara recognized to be Jim. She smiled at the photographs. The Desk, however, was a different story all together. The countertop was stacked high with papers. Pens and clipboards littered the surface. 

Nomura frowned, “What a mess.”

“Hush,” Barbara twisted from the photos to glare at the other changeling, before striding over and taking an empty seat in front of the desk. Nomura only inclined one shoulder before looking over the books on the shelves. 

Strickland opened her mouth to tell her off when the door slammed open with surprising force, startling both changelings. The sound had Barbara’s head pulsing in protest. Twisting around she managed to catch sight of  a black, white, and blue blur stride into the office, mumbling in a distinctive british accent, an apology for the wait. The door slams shut again and Strickland barely manages to convert her grimace into a pleasant smile as she reaches up to shake the doctor's hand, trying not to ogle the dark haired man before her. 

Thin and broad shouldered, He’s tall for a human, enough so that, his stethoscope swings towards her when he leans slightly forward to grasp her hand in a firm but gentle handshake. 

“Afternoon, I am Dr. Walter Lake,” he said, green eyes flickering between her and Nomura as he introduced himself with a pleasant smile before releasing her hand and taking a seat at his desk. Green eyes looked at her appraisingly and seeming to like what he saw, he grinned at her, charming and sincere, and Barbara tried her hardest not to stare, and failed.

 

In hindsight she should have known. Young Atlas’s features were soft yet already hinted that they would eventually lean towards aquiline. Her co-workers had mentioned in passing that the boys looks favored his father’s. It occurred to her that, Jim’s Father was probably handsome, at least by human standards... it just never registered. 

“Pleasure to meet you doctor,” Nomura said pleasantly while taking the seat next to her.

He nodded, his hand spread on the surface of his desk, picking up a file and tapping it lightly against his chin. 

“Now, my nurse tells me that you brought in Dr. Allen Chamberlain today after an ‘accident’ at the museum.”

The emphasis in which the Doctor phrased accident, had both changelings on edge in an instant, though it went unnoticed by Lake. 

Barbara watched as Lake looked over his notes, his lips pursing in thought. 

“How did the accident occur?”

Nomura gave a small shrug. “I didn’t see what happened. I only heard a loud thump from the Mummy Exhibit and went to investigate.”

 

“And?”

“Well it seemed like he injured his head… So… Barbara and I put him in her car and we drove him here.”

“Why didn’t you call for an ambulance?”

“We felt it might take too long for them to get to the museum.” Barbara answered feeling like they were being interrogated.

“Why were you there Ms.Strickland?” The man snapped a critical green gaze at her. Definitely an interrogation, she mused before offering her best smile. 

“Nomura said that I could preview the new exhibit before bringing my students,” Barbara said staring back at him.  

It is a Lovely green. She thought.

“Students?” 

“High school History.” She smiled at him and suddenly inspired, pointed to his pictures on the wall. “I’m Jim’s History teacher.”

 

“Ah!” Dr. Lake flashed her a smile, a real one this time and Barbara could see that some of the suspicion faded from him. “Jim is always talking about your class. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, though I do wish it had been under better circumstances.”

“As do I.”

Seemingly satisfied, Dr. Lake laid the file back down and thumbed through it. 

“Well, Mr. Chamberlain did in fact hit his head quite hard, But he will recover.”

“Damn.” Nomura mumbled earning Barbara’s elbow deep into her ribs..

He snapped his gaze up to look at them, “What?”

“I … Damn Good, that’s Damn Good to hear I said.” Nomuran stuttered violently.

Walter’s eyes narrowed,”How did you find him again?”

“At the bottom of the stairs of the Egyptian exhibit.”

“That still leaves quite a few inconsistencies,” He said slowly, rereading Chamberlain’s file.

 

“Stone Stairs!”

“What?”

“The stairs. That he fell down... are made of stone and … uh… they’re fairly steep.” Nomura fumbled to explain.

“They were Chamberlains idea,” Barbara felt the need to add. “For authenticity.”

Dr. Lake merely blinked at Nomura, and then at her, clearly confused. 

“Riiiight. We will be keeping him over night. Thank you again for bringing him.”

Relieved they stood to leave.

 

“A minute, if I may Ms. Strickland,” Dr. Lake’s voice called her back.

“Please, Call me Barbara.”

“Barbara,” He grinned at her and offered her a small post it. “My number if …”

 

“I’d like to see you again,” The words flew out of her mouth before she had time to think and Nomura’s face contorted in such a way that Barbara might have found the action hilarious if the situation were different. 

“To discuss Jim’s progress in school I mean,” She clarified feeling the back of her neck flush. Dr. Lake’s smile, if possible grew wider. “Perhaps we could discuss it over coffee sometime.”

“Coffee would be a delight,” Strickland said with a smirk before being all but dragged out of the Doctor’s office by Nomura.

“‘I’d like to see you again?’”Nomura all but snarled when they were finally outside. She looked at Barbara as if she’d lost her mind, “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know,” Barbara shrugged, “I really don’t know.”

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“We have been at this for two hours.” Barbara growled pinning everyone in the room with an angry glare. “I am not doing this for another two. As head of the Janus Order I am invoking my executive right to limit our options.”

 

Another wave of protests broke out from her fellow changelings and between trying to regain control and fighting the pulsing twitch in her eye, Barbara was left to wonder why on earth she thought being the Head of the Janus Order was a good idea. In the darkest corner Nomura sat one leg crossed over the other balancing a small white cup of steaming tea. The changeling sat  watching the chaos around her with a minute upturn of her lips. Nomura was enjoying Barbara’s struggle immensely. 

 

“We can either!” Strickland screamed at them raising one hand.

 

“Get Pizza or!” She lifted her other hand.  “Ramen. Those are your options.” Barbara finished sternly crossing her arms across her chest and scanning the room. 

 

The changelings were muttering amongst themselves seeming ready to come to an agreement, and in the darkened corner Nomura leaned over and placed her tea cup to the floor, before straightening back up. Her small smile now having turned into a full blown mischievous smirk.   A chill flared up Barbara’s spine at the sight as Nomura carefully cupped her hands up to her mouth into a makeshift megaphone and her eyes widened as she realized exactly what the changeling planned to do. 

Barbara’s desperate No flew out of her mouth just a half a second too late.

 

“McDonalds! McDonalds! McDonalds!” Nomura chanted from the dark, her eyes flashing gleefully from her dark corner as the other changelings quickly took up the chant.

 

In that instant, as she watched her fellow changelings devolve into a sub species of prepubescent children Barbara Strickland knew for a fact that becoming the Head of Janus Order was the worst thing she ever did.

 

“McDonalds! McDonalds! McDonalds!” 

Chairs were being raised in the air as a makeshift protest march was developing before her eyes.

“No.” Strickland tried again knowing the battle was lost.

* * *

 

“Is that all Ma’am?” The friendly but confused girl asked from the other end of the phone. 

 

Barbara groaned, her forehead hard pressed against her desk, her back creaking in protest at her hunched over position.

 

“You forgot the milkshakes.” Nomura chirped helpfully from her left.

“I forgot the milkshakes,” Barbara whined. Focusing on the various shades of red in the wood of the escritore. “Three Chocolate Milkshakes, Five Strawberry and One black coffee please… I think that’s it.”

 

“Okay…” and she could here the smile in the girls voice become strained as she realized the size of the order.

 

“The total of your order comes to…”

 

Barbara blocked out number from her hearing and instead focused on pulling out the credit card from the pocket inside of her jacket. Before she could even get the first number out she was interrupted. 

 

“An American Express? For shame Barb no one accepts that.” Nomura asked looking over her left shoulder. Growling and cursing in trollish Barbara shoved her key pen into Nomura’s hand. 

 

“Fine grab the Visa then, second drawer.”

“You’re right there.”

“I’m comfortable.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Um Ma’am? The payment?” 

“Now!” Barbara snapped just as the card slid under her nose. “ Sorry here it is.”

 

The Nightmare over, Barbara hung up and sighed, not bothering to remove herself from the desk. Nomura propped herself up on Strickland’s desk, and Barbara could see her begin to kick her legs from the corner of her right eye.

For a moment she relished the silence before the changelings movement grew irksome. 

 

“How many times have I told you not to sit on my desk?”

 

“About as many times as I’ve elected to ignore you.”

 

As the petty thought of shoving the violet changeling off her desk was growing more attractive  in Strickland’s mind. Her phone began to ring. Suddenly beyond irritated, borderline angry, Barbara shot up and grabbed her phone so quickly that she startled Nomura who in an attempt to avoid Strickland’s arm, slipped off the desk and fell unceremoniously to the floor. 

“What?!” Barbara snapped at the phone.

“I’m...I’m sorry?” a confused male voice said from the other end. “Ms. Strickland? Is this a bad time.”

“Who is this?”

“Oh,” The caller chuckled, “ It’s me, Dr. Lake. Jim’s father? He gave me your number.”

She almost dropped her phone in shock.

“Ahhh,” Barbara.  “ah I mean Hi. Hello, Mr. Lake.”

“Please call me Walter.”

 

“Hello Walter.” She grinned stepping over Nomura who was looking at her with an unreadable expression.

 

“Hello Ms. Strickland.”

“Call me Barbara.”

“Barbara then.” 

She could hear the smile in his voice.

 

“Well I’m calling because I was wondering if I could invite you a cup of coffee, or dinner or something?” 

“A coffee would be nice.”

“ Does tomorrow afternoon work for you?”

“It does.”

“Great… well… um see you tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow, Walter” Barbara said quietly before hanging up, her mood improved.

 

“What the hell was that?” Nomura stood up.

 

“I got myself a date.” Strickland shrugged, “Lets go pick up that order? Go get Gladys and Krax we’ll need help carrying it out.”

 

“You did not.”

 

“I did too.” She said winking at Nomura and  putting on her jacket, best get going those fries are going to get cold.”

“The Doctor, Why?”

“Yes because I feel like it,” Barbara 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update is short. XD

**Author's Note:**

> Credit for this idea goes to mydearartbunnyy on Tumblr. Check out their art it's great!


End file.
